The Decision To Get A Pet

The Decision To Get A Pet

You’re thinking about getting a pet? You’ll be bringing someone into your home who will impact everything in your life, your eating and sleeping patterns, your décor, your relationships…. It’s like getting married or having a baby. The big difference is that another human doesn’t depend on you for his lifetime, and you can reach compromises with another human.

If you’re prepared for a pet, you will remember this decision as the best one you ever made. So let’s get ready!

Circumstances Change

Cats and dogs can live up to 20 years. Rabbits live about 10 years. You need to think about whether you’ll be able to keep a pet that long. What if you have to move to a no-pets place or leave the country? What if someone joins your household who proves to be allergic or doesn’t like animals? What if you get a job that makes you travel?

What will be done with your pet if something happens to you; is there someone you can count on who will take him? Thousands of animals each year are taken directly to municipal shelters by authorities who attend to the affairs of people who have become incapacitated or passed away. The only way to ensure your pet’s future is to make arrangements with someone you trust and remember the pet in your will just as you would a dependent child.

Your Pet’s Chances Without You

Don’t believe for a minute that a pet as lovable as yours will soon find a new home! There are millions of homeless, lovable pets competing for very few homes. Worldwide, the majority are euthanized. Unless you have a rare and expensive purebred, your pet’s odds of survival would be about 5% to 50% depending on his age, health, and temperament. His health and temperament will probably suffer if he loses his home and loved one.

We take them back if something goes wrong at any point in their future homes. However, losing a home or loved one is heartbreaking for everybody, two-legged or four-legged, and when animals return, it means we have one space less for a homeless pet from the streets. So be as certain as you can be that you can commit to her for life.

The Expense

You’ll need to budget for a pet. A survey found that cat owners spend about $1,200 yearly on pet related items. Your cat will need a pet carrier, litter pan, scratching post, bedding, toys, grooming equipment and possibly a cat license. That’s just to start. Regularly, you’ll need to pay for food, litter, and vet care. Providing the basics alone costs $20 per week on average. You can get cheap food or high quality food, but the cheap stuff does not meet all their nutritional needs. If you spend more on their diet, you’ll spend less on vet care.

You’ll also spend less on vet care if your pet is kept strictly indoors. Outside, they pick up all kinds of intestinal and skin parasites which cost money to control, and if she runs into traffic or predators, the injuries can cost thousands to treat if she survives. If a neighbour doesn’t like cats, you might have a hostile situation or she might be at risk. Indoors-only is best.

Mischief and Mayhem

A pet will both delight and dismay you with his antics. We can show you cats that fit the description of what you want, but there’s no predicting what he’ll be like in your home. One adopter discovered that her cat likes to lick her hair while she slept. Another discovered that her cat preferred a potted plant over the litter pan. Another person found that her cat liked to chew wool. This is where you need to adjust your home and habits. You can close the bedroom door, cover the plant pot and keep woolens in a closed drawer. Are you prepared to brainstorm solutions for any annoying behaviour?

There will also be annoyances that you just have to live with. You will start finding cat hair all over the house. The occasional hairball is inevitable. He will undoubtedly use his claws on a forbidden item at some point, and he may fail to use the litter pan if something goes wrong in his life. Your home will suffer wear and tear from having a pet in residence.

A Wealth of Information to Learn

Do your research on pet needs and pet behaviour. You’ll find so much valuable information. For example, cheap flea control products may be dangerous to your pet, and the milk we drink can cause diarrhea in cats. There’s always new information too, such as the recent research which shows that growing up with pets can help your baby build resistance to asthma and allergies.

Check with your local pet supply stores for the best foods to buy and the kinds of scratching posts and litter pans available. Ask us or your pet-loving friends where to go for vet care.

Weigh the Pros and Cons

These are all things you must be prepared for if you bring a pet into your life. He will make work for you and cost money, but once he’s home, it’s for life. If you’re able to provide a lifelong home even though he will affect whom you socialize with, where you live, how long you can be away and how your house looks, then you’ll have a new friend who will touch your heart like nobody else ever has.

Now that you’ve thought it over, if you feel ready to take on a new furry family member, then please complete our Adoption Application. We like nothing more than being able to make good matches of our fur-babies with homes where the bond is lifelong and creates joyful memories that last forever.

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTIES WITH OUR ONLINE APPLICATION FORM. PLEASE EMAIL US AT KATIES.PLACE@SHAW.CA TO REQUEST AN APPLICATION AND ONE WILL BE SENT TO YOU. THANK YOU!